It was recently reported that China’s population has declined for the first time since 1961, in part because more and more women are choosing to focus on their careers and personal goals rather than starting a family.

China, which is already facing an aging population and is expected to lose the title of the world’s most populous country to India, continues to struggle to boost its birth rate.

About 9.56 million children were born in 2022, up from 10.62 million a year earlier, the lowest birth rate since at least 1950, despite government efforts to encourage families to have more children. A total of 10.41 million people died, slightly more than the roughly 10 million who died a year earlier.

China’s birth rate, or the number of births per 1,000 people, fell to 6.77 last year, the lowest level since at least 1978. Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics shows that 62 percent of the population is in China’s working age. as people aged 16 to 59, up from about 70% a decade ago, highlighting the challenges the country is facing as its population ages.

“China has more working mothers compared to Western countries,” freelance economist Andy Xie told CNBC. “In China, there is a desire to make a career, and being a stay-at-home mom is not the goal. This is not even in the field of view of most women, ”she added.

The 31-year-old freelance designer from Shenzhen says she is happy to be free right now. “Saving money and focusing on my career are my priorities now, I already feel so exhausted after work that I can’t imagine how parents with children feel,” she says.

He added that most husbands in China play no role in raising a child, and the burden falls entirely on mothers.

“Many of us do not want to get married because they will be responsible for the house and raising children,” the woman said. “So if women feel like they have to do housework, earn money and do it all on their own, why not just be alone?” he wonders.

Business Incentives

Trip.com is a Chinese company that is trying to get more women to have babies.

In an organization where more than half of its 30,000 employees are women, an online travel agency came up with its own solution to encourage female employees to have more children.

Trip.com is offering grants ranging from $15,000 to $300,000 to help employees offset the huge costs of egg freezing.

When the initiative first launched in 2018, more than 50 employees contacted the company’s social services department to find out if they were eligible for the program.

Pregnant workers are offered free taxi rides to and from work, as well as cash benefits when their child is born and goes to school.

Limitation

But there is a problem. According to the rules, women in China who want to freeze their eggs must be married.

“However, some of them want children but may not be ready for marriage,” a NUH associate professor told CNBC. “Now women have become more financially independent… so marriage is not as attractive to most people,” he said. In addition, women who divorce after having children face social stigma and struggle to balance their careers by raising a child alone.

“I don’t think it’s shameful to be a single mother, but I kept it a secret from my colleagues because I didn’t want to be perceived differently,” said the 36-year-old mother from Shenzhen.

housing problems

“High real estate prices in China continue to deter many couples who may want to move on,” said economist Andy Xie.

Owning property in China is “a really strong symbol of independence and social progress” and people often want to buy a house before marriage.

However, “housing costs are a major concern for anyone who wants to get married,” he added. “It needs to be reduced by at least 50% to make marriage more attractive,” the economist said.

Source: CNBC.